I was able to fit in 8 books this past month. It was another heavy book club month, which was not a surprise. I managed to attend all five of my book clubs!
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
Trouble with the Cursed (The Hollows #16) by Kim Harrison
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, narrated by Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch
The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers, narrated by Kitty Parker
The second half of month included a mix of historical fiction, a classic and a mystery/thriller:
A Queer Case (The Selby Bigge Mysteries #1) by Robert Holtom
The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, narrated by Lynnette R. Freeman
Kills Well With Others (Killers of a Certain Age #2) by Deanna Raybourn
1984 by George Orwell, narrated by Simon Prebble
A Queer Case (The Selby Bigge Mysteries #1) by Robert Holtom
(Titan Books, 2025; 320 pgs)
A gripping 1920s-set whodunnit, this debut features a queer sleuth who must solve a murder in a mansion on London’s Hampstead Heath without revealing his sexuality, lest he be arrested as a criminal.
Author Robert Holtom pays homage to the Golden Age of detective fiction in A Queer Case about a bank clerk who gets himself entangled in the family drama of an old college chum and crush. Selby makes due with loveless trysts while what he really longs for is a meaningful relationship. When Patrick, the son of a banking millionaire, asks for his help, Selby sees it as an opportunity to get closer to his old friend. Patrick is sure his father's new wife is a gold-digger and wants Selby to help him prove it. Selby steps into the world of money and privilege, where everything is not quite as perfect as it seems. The next thing he knows, Selby is at the center of a murder investigation. And everyone's a suspect.
A Queer Case was the mystery book club selection for August, and while the feedback was mixed, most everyone enjoyed it. It is a mystery that does not take itself too seriously on the one hand, with humor and nods to Golden Age mysteries; and on the other, the novel offers the reader a glimpse into the struggles Selby, a gay man in 1929 London, experiences. Being queer is not only strongly frowned upon, it was illegal at the time. His trying to keep his sexuality a secret while uncovering the secrets of those he suspects of murder is quite the challenge. I read an interview with the author in which he mentioned wanting to create a character who was not weighed down by shame or self-loathing but who celebrates his queerness, and Holtom succeeds there. Holtom also includes a character who is the opposite of those things, one who hates themselves and feels deep shame. I liked that the author included both portrayals, each from contrasting perspectives.
I loved Selby's energy and he seems like a genuinely well-meaning and nice person. But my favorite character of the novel was Theodora/Theo. Actually, she/he was the favorite of my entire mystery reading group, and we all hope will be a regular character in future books. Smart, charming, and a good influence on Selby. They kind of keep him grounded, I think. Oh, and there's also Octavia Stubbs, crime writer, who I have to mention. She has only bad things to say about her contemporary, Agatha Christie, which was hilarious. I thought this was a fun addition, given how Agatha Christie was Holtom's, who is a Christie fan, inspiration.
A Queer Case was an entertaining read overall. It's a fairly quick read. I ended up giving it a 3 paw rating, meaning that I thought it was good (liked it). I cannot quite put my finger on what it was that was a miss for me; perhaps it did not pull me in as much as I would have liked or the characters weren't as fleshed out as I generally prefer. I think both. It was a fun time though, and I am glad I read it.
The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, narrated by Lynnette R. Freeman
(One World, 2024; 9hrs 56m)
A gripping historical novel about a spirited young girl who joins a sisterhood of Black women working together to undermine the Confederates.
I hesitated in using the above description of the book because it is misleading (the longer summary is no better, I'm afraid). I read The American Daughters for my August Historical Fiction book club, and we all went into it with similar expectations, looking forward to a novel about the sisterhood of Black women called the Daughters whose goal was to undermine the Confederates. Only, that is not quite what we got. They do get a little page time, but it is very limited, which was disappointing. Another element of the novel that fell short for me was the execution of the meta story, framing the primary story. It might have worked for me, but then it lost me at the epilogue (to say more would be a spoiler).
With that out of way, there was much I liked about The American Daughters. The writing is beautiful. I was completely engaged with the first half or so of the novel which focused on a young Ady and her mother, Sanite, who were enslaved together to a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Ady loves listening to her mother share stories of their family's origins and picks up on the lessons her mother passes down to her. The mother and daughter have an inseparable bond. Their relationship was one of my favorite aspects of the novel, their moments alone together among my favorite scenes.
As with any novel about enslaved people and their experiences, it was not always an easy book to read. Author Maurice Carlos Ruffin's words paint a vivid picture of what life must have been like for Ady and her mother and writes too about the differences among the enslaved working in the house versus those in the fields. I more often come across books about "slave labor camps also called plantations" than I do about the enslaved who live in cities like New Orleans. In Ady and Sanite's case, they seemed to have a bit more freedom, if you can call it that, to run errands for their owner. Although, even that was risky, given they only had one pass between the two of them. There were also free Black people who had free movement in the city, and yet even they often faced discrimination and the ever present threat of being captured by slave catchers looking hoping for a bounty.
Despite her circumstances and what she endures, Ady never loses her sense of self--even after her mother is gone. I was not quite as smitten in the second half of the novel, admittedly, although I was still invested in Ady's story. Ady befriends a free Black woman who runs her own business, the Mockingbird Inn. Ady longs for the confidence her new friend has, standing up to the oppressors and carving her own path. Lenore is a force to be reckoned with and so is her friend Alabama, who behind Sanite, was one of my favorite characters in the novel. And yet their lives have not been easy either as they face their own struggles. The novel is full of strong women whose will to survive is fierce. They all longed for a better life. It is through Lenore we learn about the Daughters and their goal to undermine the Confederates when she invites Ady to join the movement.
This was an emotional read, one full of sadness and heartbreaking moments. The reader gets to see Ady come of age, fall in love, and find her voice in a world that would rather she remain subservient and silent. Lynnette R. Freeman's narration of the novel made it all the more compelling, as she captured the voices of the characters so well.
Kills Well With Others (Killers of a Certain Age #2) by Deanna Raybourn
(Berkley, 2025; 359 pgs)
Four women assassins, senior in status—and in age—sharpen their knives for another bloody good adventure in this riotous follow-up to the New York Times bestselling sensation Killers of a Certain Age.
I really enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age and was happy when the second book in the series, Kills Well with Others won August's TBR List Poll (thank you again to all who voted!). This latest book picks up in just over a year since the last. Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are called out of retirement to eliminate a European gangster targeting Museum agents like themselves. From safe house to safe house, a cruise ship and a trip to Venice, our favorite assassins must not only find their target but avoid being targeted themselves.
In some ways, this second book in the series wasn't quite as good as the first, but in other ways, I thought it was just as good. Reading the first book is a must before taking the plunge into this one, if only to get a good feel for the characters and their relationships. I enjoyed the twists in Kills Well With Others and the building tension as the story evolved. I was happy to see Taverner again (Billie's love interest and an all around great guy) and wish there had been more of Minka (who I think should be a more regular part of their team). I also wish more time had been spent on the women's relationships with each other, but I appreciated the insights into the villain's backstory. Overall a fast paced and tension filled read. I hope there will be more!
1984 by George Orwell, narrated by Simon Prebble
(Blackstone Audio, originally 1949; 11hrs 22m)
A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war is peace, freedom is slavery, and Big Brother is watching. Thought Police, Big Brother, Orwellian - these words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984. The story of one man's Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory. 1984 is a prophetic haunting tale. More relevant than ever before 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable the destruction of truth freedom and individuality.
I first read 1984 in college and caved into the pressure to read it again this year, or rather listen to the audiobook this time around. Simon Prebble did an excellent job narrating. The novel itself is even better than I remember. Orwell is such a good writer. What made this book hard to read right now, in 2025, isn't that it did not stand the test of time as a classic, but rather I could not help but wonder if the current administration is using it as a handbook, just not from the perspective it was intended. So many of the ideas and concepts the government in this dystopian novel are believed and/or practiced by those in power today.
A monthly feature in which I l share the books I read this month ten years ago.
(Rating Scale: 5 Paws=Outstanding; 4 Paws=Very Good; 3 Paws=Good; 2 Paws=Okay; 1 Paw=Didn't Like)
The titles are linked to my original reviews of each book when available.
My two top reads last month are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of genre and the feelings they evoked in me.
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado, a young adult romance, was a surprise hit for me. And not so surprising was George Orwell's dystopian classic, 1984.
